Rescued animals’ own Good Samaritan

Yeshi Gyeltshen, Paro
Jan 16, 2016

Koniya was rescued a month ago. The mule had broken her legs in an accident. She would have died had she not been rescued by Maya Foundation; a US registered Non Governmental Organization.

Koyina is on her path to recovery. She had her leg amputated and will soon have a prosthetic leg, like some of her new friends, among 300 animals the foundation is looking after at the moment.

Maya Foundation has been helping save lives of hundreds of animals in the country. For the last nine years, the animal shelter set up in Lango, Paro has been carrying out numerous animal rescue missions.

The rescued animals living at the two-acre facility include pigs, horses, cats, goats and many dogs, among others.

All the animals were brought to the shelter with injuries from accidents, ill, or orphaned by their owners.
Jamie Vaughan, an American, who started the foundation in 2007 carried out her first rescue mission nine years ago helping out an injured stray dog in Paro.

“It was never planned it just kind of happened. Since I’ve been in Bhutan, it started off with street dogs that had been injured or were sick. And then the community found out that I would help their cows also. So then we had cows, then horses, and cats and basically any animal you can think of.”

Since then, she has been busy here and barely has had the chance to go back home. It has been six years now since she last visited the US.

“I am the only person here that’s here 24/7 to look after everybody. Without proper veterinary staffing onsite round the clock, I can’t go anywhere. It would be nice to visit the family, but right now these guys are my family and they come first.”

Jamie says that trying to save the animals has been a collective effort. She shares; all the success so far was possible, because of the help from the Veterinary Hospital and public.

“I just would ask everybody to make a phone call to the animal husbandry or to us or to Bhutan Animal Rescue and Care or Jangsa animal savings. There are so many people out there that want to help, but if we don’t know about the animal we can’t reach them.”

The foundation now has 15 staff working hard towards saving and nurturing sick animals back to health.